lol..just playing..I had to do it. IT'S JUST SO FREAKIN DEAD AROUND HERE!!!!

ZOMG chuck norris drive a svt it iz so much bettar then losar 2.3.

Its dead cause its the weekend and everybodys still hung over? Seems likely enough to me.

SVT with 2.3 Stroker [:D]

If chuck norris drives an SVT I'm selling my focus tomorrow

2.3, I think the Dura has much more potential..

*runs from SVT owners*

lol sorry mods

2.3 cause running premium gas for 170hp and getting shitty mileage isn't worth it

I run regular gas and get shitty mileage

Originally posted by turbovation
I run regular gas and get shitty mileage

Thats funny i average anywhere from 26 to 31 mpg depending on how heavy my right foot is. I also use regular gas. That is a mixture of both city and highway driving.

ya that is weird. I average 280 miles per tank. I think I usually shift around 3500..but i guess i might take advantage of my cars torque a little too much.

[:)][:)][:)][:)] it all

SPI!

just joking...

i would have a turbo SVt with a WRC block...MAD BOOST!

Actually i can't say i'd want more than 250 Hp in an FWD

[chair] ARH!

Alright, since i opened this thread as a joke I am gonna go a little bit off topic--

I found a Silver 2004 Euro focus with 25,000 miles on the clock and the remainder of a 100,000 mile warranty. It has EVERYTHING I want in a car...it's been well taken care of...and it's even still on it's first set of tires (so you know it wasn't driven hard by the 48 year old who owned it before). I have extra tires I will put on. The guy is asking 14,850 for it. I still owe on my car, so I will be selling my 2.3 for as much as possible to help pay off the loan from mission fed. What do you all think about that price, for what I would get?

That price looks about right to me, mileage is good, and 2004 was the best year for the SVT it seems. If you werent going to lose a ton of money doing it, I'd say rock it. But you will be, so I wouldnt. The SVT quirks will probably get you down anyway; just rock SVT suspension on your car and spend a couple grand on a bike, you'll spend the same money and have about 15x more fun.

What do you mean by SVT quirks? How will I lose a ton of money? It is such a sexy car! Even going 80 on the freeway it handled better than my focus does by a ton! Not to mention the leather seats, HID headlights, heated seats and traction control! It just seems like so much car for the money. After all TT&L it's 16,000 on the dot. I owe 6500 on my focus, and I'm hoping I can bring in 7500 for it so that I can have a little extra over what I owe.

Well, between the 2.3 and the SVT I think that .....

Umm.

Well.

FORGET IT!

I'm not going there!!!

lol...it's ok FMF! I really want the SVT for more reasons than it's high winding 2 litre. I also love the options on the SVT. Everything I want to do to my car, is done on this car...all the way down to the LSD! I planned on spending a lot of money on my focus to make it comparable in quality and ride-quality to the SVT...but it will just never come close. Even if my 2.3 is more torquey and, as is, could possibly keep up with an SVT...it's the quality of the vehicle. I am making a list to justify this to my parents because I know they'll be mad at me..even if it's not like i'm buying into a 900/month BMW payment. It will be the same payment I make on my ZX3..but for an extra 3 years. Do you guy's think I priced my ZX3 on autotrader right? I put it at 8300 OBO. I would say it's in "good" shape with 59,000 miles on a 2004.

Reliability stock v stock it's no contest 2.3.

Performance stock v stock it's no contest SVTF.

With mods in mind if you're going N/A stick to the 2.3, if you're going forced induction the SVT is your best bet.

You can't argue with reliable 350whp 300wtq on stock engines with a 7400 redline and 10.2:1 compression, the SVTF powerplants have been pulling that off for 3-4 years now.

The biggest problem is the nightmare of Ford's Hermosillo factory conditions, after getting jerked around with bullshit dealerships for over a year I finally threw in the towel and fixed it up myself but it cost me about 15 garage hours and 1000 in parts. Be careful getting an SVTF, quite a few buyers got so frustrated with the recurring problems that they dumped them off on another person around 25000-30000 miles when the warranty was coming up.

THe warranty is good for 100,000 miles. What kind of problems are we taking about here? I have never had a problem on my 2004 ZX3...besides the inevitable busted armrest hatch and missing cupholder inserts. Other than that she's been solid.

Since they're the same year what kind of issues should I be looking for in purchasing this SVT?

Originally posted by turbovation
THe warranty is good for 100,000 miles. What kind of problems are we taking about here? I have never had a problem on my 2004 ZX3...besides the inevitable busted armrest hatch and missing cupholder inserts. Other than that she's been solid.

Since they're the same year what kind of issues should I be looking for in purchasing this SVT?

Shit, they would need their own website like appledefects.com. Here's the list of problems I had in the order I fixed them myself in after getting stonewalled at dealerships.

1) first -> second powershift results in motor slamming into firewall so VF-Engineering rear mount ~$100

2) shifter feels like shit and is spongy so Steeda STS and shifter counterweight removal ~$100

3) constant CEL without method or pattern, spent more than 40 days in 3 dealerships and was never fixed (turned out to be a problem with the tune, got an aftermarket tune and it never acted up again) ~$350

4) clutch/flywheel/slave cyl assembly burns out about every 18000 miles, the fix doesn't help much, you'll end up going aftermarket or replacing it with ford's shit four times as often as you need to. ~$900

5) flickering interior lights so ground kit ~$40

6) at 25000 miles coil, wires, plugs as a package when I started getting problems with the stock coil that a dealership told me was 'because I have a short ram intake' ~$110

7) speedo reads 7-10mph fast (depending on whether you compare to radars or the digital speedo in diagnostic mode) Ford tells me it's not wrong, continues denial after I demonstrate the problem. Bigger wheels and tires to compensate set me back another ~$900 (mind you I got 18lbs 18"x7.5" wrapped in falken azeni RT615s 225x40x18 for autox, but you get the idea)

That's it for now, my car has just over 32,000 miles on it and was purchased new with 32 miles July 1, 2004.

I should really get around to testing a regular Focus one of these days, so I can stop speculating at the differences.

By SVT quirks I meant things like the cold-start performance which, for me, is terrible, my Neon had more get-up than the SVT does until it gets close to temp. Or the cool thing it does when it tries to stall at idle sometimes, tho again only when cold. Or the flywheel that waits for a good time to explode; most of these cars are outside the bumper-to-bumper, and getting Ford to pay for the work even within that warranty was tricky business. Thats gonna cost me a smooth Grand sometime next year. Or the DSI clip that snaps and kills your low-end performance, tho this hasnt actually happened to me yet. All of these things I could do without about my SVT.

What I wouldnt be without tho, and what I got the car for, are things you mentioned. It looks awesome, I have yet to meet anybody who wasnt impressed with the way it looks. You'd think the interior tweaks would be minor, but again it just seems nicer, greater than the sum of its parts you might say. Chicks dig it, tho I cant figure out quite why. The guages, which probably shouldnt matter, are something I would not be without. The signature SVT color scheme owns. The seats are mediocre, at best, but I dont have the Recaros.

The exhaust sounds awesome, probably because we get stock the best (or "best") exhaust header for the Zetec. You can buy that for any Zetec.

The suspension tuning is pretty close to pure genius. You can buy the whole getup for ~$250, and it bolts into any Focus with brackets for a RSB.

The wheels look great. $125 per at tirerack.

The brakes are awesome. This one really is a point for SVT and no 2 ways about it, big brake kits are stupid-expensive. But you dont NEED rear disks for anything short of a road course, and even then...

For the record, I get outstanding gar mileage.

What I'm trying to get at is, this same-year SVT Focus will cost you a LOT of money that it may not be worth. If you owe $6k, you get $8k for your D23, and spend $16000 on the SVT, well I count $14000 spent on a car thats, well, slightly better and probably less reliable, and certainly more expensive to run.

If I sound bitter, its cause I bought one of the best from-the-factory FWD sport cars under $20,000 (I think thats a safe statement), when what I've ended up wanting is something I'll never have: Throttle Steer. Cant get away from that damn 60/40 weight split and wrong-wheel-drive setup. The direction MY tastes have turned, I'd be much better served by, say, a Tacoma 4x4 and a Miata. Which wouldnt have been much more expensive to buy, and would be about the same to maintain. Oh well, you know what they say about hindsight.

I am also looking for a car that will hold it's value a little better. As soon as I drove my focus off the lot it depreciated by at least 40%. In 2 to 4 years, when I get out of college, I want a car that I can sell and hopefully not lose too much money on. I bought my ZX3 for 14,000..and I think I may have gotten ripped off. There was a sale at bob baker one month later and my car was going for 9000 out the door. Needless to say, I was not happy about that, but I continued paying on it for a long time! Now that I've blown all this money on my ZX3, I dont' really feel dropping 7000 more for a base model ford focus. I would rather double the amount of time I owe on my loan and have a car that I will really love to drive, that will deliver the kind of performance I would expect, and will undoubtedly be more comfortable on long drives...for a decent price. It makes me sad to see that the SVT, even the 2004 model, has these minor issues like it does. Other than a tint, the car I want to buy is completely stock. The only thing I really want to do to it is a cold air intake. Other than that I will be happy with the way it performs. I figure if I can keep it stock, keep the mileage relatively low, and keep it shiny, I should get my money's worth down the road.

going from one focus to another won't help much. if you want to hold value get a used bmw

SVTAutoXer, is it possible that you got a lemon? Cause i have had cars in the past that were just constant trouble, and they turned out to qualify for lemon law.

Originally posted by 2004SVTAutoXer
going from one focus to another won't help much. if you want to hold value get a used bmw

Funny you should mention that, I almost went and bought a 1997 M3 about a week ago, but it was sold before I had a chance to check it out. After talkin with the pops I decided I can't afford a BMW--especially one out of warranty. If you think you have had trouble with the SVT, I would imagine a BMW being 10 times more trouble and probably a helluva lot more expensive to fix.

edit:

So you don't think this '04 CD silver euro, being so rare, will hold it's value if I take great care of it and leave it virtually stock?

I will put up a list of what i wanted to do to my focus in the long run.

1. HID headlights ~ $700
2. Cams ~ $300 (total w/install from MM)
3. XCal2 ~ $350
4. Quaiffe ~ $900
5. Quaiffe installe ~ $500
6. Header install ~ $100
7. SVT brakes ~ $900
8. SVT brakes install ~ $300
9. Sport seats ~ $400

This equates to almost $4500! And it doesn't even include how much money I have ALREADY spent to get my zx3 where it is right now.

That list includes
1. Steeda STS
2. 17" wheels and tires
3. SVT suspension
4. FS CAI
5. Magnaflow exhaust
6. Tint

And the list goes on. Unfortunately, I still have the factory 100K warranty on my car, so the majority of this stuff I WANT to install, will void the warranty making it a waste of money. I get pretty much all of this stuff with the SVT..and I still have the 100K warranty AND a car that will hold it's value much better compared to the ZX3.

Its been said before on here that one of the only real used car "deals" is a Cooper S. Because they are such "it" vehicles, they hold their value insanely well. There's a lot to like about the Cooper, it might be worth looking into. The S uses the same tranny as the SVTf, with slightly deeper ratios. It does have a reputation for reliability concerns, but no more than the SVTf. Expensive now, but you wont lose your shirt as bad when you sell it.

Originally posted by 2004SVTAutoXer


1) first -> second powershift results in motor slamming into firewall so VF-Engineering rear mount ~$100

2) shifter feels like shit and is spongy so Steeda STS and shifter counterweight removal ~$100

3) constant CEL without method or pattern, spent more than 40 days in 3 dealerships and was never fixed (turned out to be a problem with the tune, got an aftermarket tune and it never acted up again) ~$350

4) clutch/flywheel/slave cyl assembly burns out about every 18000 miles, the fix doesn't help much, you'll end up going aftermarket or replacing it with ford's shit four times as often as you need to. ~$900

5) flickering interior lights so ground kit ~$40

6) at 25000 miles coil, wires, plugs as a package when I started getting problems with the stock coil that a dealership told me was 'because I have a short ram intake' ~$110

7) speedo reads 7-10mph fast (depending on whether you compare to radars or the digital speedo in diagnostic mode) Ford tells me it's not wrong, continues denial after I demonstrate the problem. Bigger wheels and tires to compensate set me back another ~$900 (mind you I got 18lbs 18"x7.5" wrapped in falken azeni RT615s 225x40x18 for autox, but you get the idea)




Learning about your car and getting to spend some money making it better . . . PRICELESS

keep in mind, as awesome as the SVTf is, it's still based on an econbox. Build 'em cheap, sell lots of 'em, make lots o' money - I believe that is the formula.

Yeah it is..but at least it's a nicer econobox

Originally posted by turbovation
SVTAutoXer, is it possible that you got a lemon? Cause i have had cars in the past that were just constant trouble, and they turned out to qualify for lemon law.

It qualified for lemon but at that point there were no more new SVTFs at any dealership in the country. I love the car and it was worth it and quite frankly simple to fix myself. The only issue is FOMOCO as a rip off entity.

Originally posted by jah
Learning about your car and getting to spend some money making it better . . . PRICELESS

keep in mind, as awesome as the SVTf is, it's still based on an econbox. Build 'em cheap, sell lots of 'em, make lots o' money - I believe that is the formula.

Problem is I have a project car I enjoy spending money and garage time on. I bought the SVTF as a fun daily driver and never intended to mod it. Oops, I had no choice because half of what Ford put into it was complete shit after 2 months.

I also don't really consider the SVTF an econobox. Forged powerplant that handles ridiculous power, leather, heated seats, xenon lamps, heated mirrors and engine block, moon roof, premium alloys, sport suspension, 6 disc sound system.

Even though Ford corp. dropped the prices with rebates, at sticker for a fully loaded SVTF in 2004 was nicer than a lot of luxury domestics 10K more. The only thing econobox about it is the wind noise at highway speeds, which really isn't that bad when compared to my 2003 ZX5

did you beat the hell out of it?

Originally posted by turbovation
did you beat the hell out of it?

Not at all, the car runs tip top once I replaced all the garbage factory components. It's been problem free for over 8,000 miles now. Most of what I replaced has TSBs out for them, but even after the TSB you still have Ford crapsmanship. The dealerships are stingy about the cost and took weeks with my car without it ever being fixed properly. It was in for the clutch TSB 4 times at two dealerships and they still didn't install the slave cylinder and pressure plate properly leading to it locking up completely on the freeway. I was tired of the hassle and driving around in a rental.

What isn't a TSB failure problem is a problem 'by design' - I don't know what bean counter decided to put a rear motor mount so weak that an N/A 170hp 2.0 L slams into the firewall during 1-2 shifts in stock condition, but that's just suicide to a vehicle.

Will the motormount on the ZX3 fit the SVT?

Originally posted by turbovation
Will the motormount on the ZX3 fit the SVT?

I've never looked personally, but since the rear motor mount connects to the transmission and they have two different trannies, I doubt it.

On the VF engineering site they have the same motor mounts listed for the zx3 (zetec...not sure of duratec though) and 2 out of the 3 are the same for both...I just can't remember if it was the passenger or driver side mount that was different. But the rear will fit either or.

that's good to know - seems odd that with two different trannies the rear tranny mount would be the same but one of the side mounts would be different. The SVTF engine looks structurally identical to my ZX5 zetec in every way except airbox exhaust and header

Put simply... yes the SVTF does have it's issues... I haven't had any problems with the rear motor mount tho (the engine "slamming" into the firewall"). If you're serious about buying the SVTF, make sure you add in the price of the TUNE! You're not going to enjoy the car until you tune it. It fixes quite a few problems with the car and it runs SOOOOOO much better... it's definatly been a lot less of a headache. See I'm the kind of person that doesn't mind some things goin wrong with the car, b/c you get to replace them with better parts, and make for a better longer lasting vehical.. and slowly build it up. I LOVE MY SVTF!! I wouldn't give it up!!! If you can, GO FOR IT!!! If you have any questions PM me.


--Kris

The 2.3...in my future Mazdaspeed3...bwahaha...

Originally posted by topherdopher
Put simply... yes the SVTF does have it's issues... I haven't had any problems with the rear motor mount tho (the engine "slamming" into the firewall"). If you're serious about buying the SVTF, make sure you add in the price of the TUNE! You're not going to enjoy the car until you tune it. It fixes quite a few problems with the car and it runs SOOOOOO much better... it's definatly been a lot less of a headache. See I'm the kind of person that doesn't mind some things goin wrong with the car, b/c you get to replace them with better parts, and make for a better longer lasting vehical.. and slowly build it up. I LOVE MY SVTF!! I wouldn't give it up!!! If you can, GO FOR IT!!! If you have any questions PM me.


--Kris


Well Kris,

I went for it [}:)]

I am now the official owner of 924 of 1978. One of 200 CD silver Euro edition SVT's made in 2004. 25,000 on the clock and every option. Baby'd by it's first owner so much that it still has the original rubber's...and they still have tread!

I can't tell you all how incredibely stoked I am right now!!!! I have wanted to get an SVTF since they came out in 2002! I guess I should start a thread and post some pictures but I have class til 1 and work from 3 to 11. I will see what I can do when I get to work!

Thanks for all your help everyone!!!!!!!!!

Sweet! [thumb]
Have fun with it, and congratulations!

We also want pics!!!

thanks WD! I love it man...this thing is so incredibely cherry. I now understand why it is so retarded to compare the 2.3 and even the ST to the SVT. They drive completely different. From lower RPMs up, my 2.3 felt much quicker and more powerful, but once you hit the high RPMs there is no comparison. On the freeway I can go from [nono] to [nono] in the SVT pretty quickly on level ground, whereas the 2.3 would take 15 to 20 seconds to climb to the [nono]s, and even when it did, it felt somewhat unstable (even with the svt suspension). The SVT just drives like a dream. I can't get enough of the leather either!! And the xenon's are beautiful. I never knew the xenon's were "bi-xenon" (meaning both low and high beam). On the freeway the poise is unmatched by anything I have driven. It even feels more comfortable and solid than my buddies Acura 3.2 CL-S. I left my focus up near the coast last night so I could drive my SVT home. Well my mom drove me up to get Estella today and I drove her home after only driving the SVT for a whole day and they are two entirely different vehicles.

Estella is an awesome ZX3 and I'll really miss her when she's gone..but I have to sell her ASAP. [:-/]

congrats on the purchase :)

and topher, the rear engine mount weakness is a known issue. before tunes were perfected and advertised the 'must have mods' on a purchase were the short throw shifter and rear motor mount.

You went to the dark side my man... wanna race [}:)]

Thanks mang!